23 Mexico City Travel Tips By A Solo Traveller

Condesa

With its Art Deco buildings and tree-lined walkways, this stylish part of Mexico City may remind you of Europe. This isn’t surprising since Condesa was actually modelled on Paris by long-standing ex-president, Porfirio Diaz.

Condesa is very safe with lots of lovely cafes and restaurants serving Mexican and international cuisine.

Roma

Interlinked to Condesa, the neighbourhood of Roma is made up of Roma Sur (South) and Roma Norte (North). While both are safe and friendly, Roma Norte is undeniably the coolest and most happening part of Mexico City with tons of street art, museums, markets and bars.

I would highly recommend staying here if you like to socialise and be in the heart of the action.

The food in both Roma and Condesa is excellent with lots of cafes, restaurants and street food.

Surrounding suburbs

While Roma and Condesa are the coolest areas, my next Mexico City tip is to extend your search radius. You can get better value accommodation in the nearby neighbourhoods. The only place you should avoid nearby is Doctores which doesn’t have the best safety reputation.

I stayed for a few weeks in San Miguel Chapultepec (made up of section I and section II), a quiet residential area between Condesa and Chapultepec, a huge green park with a castle and boating lake.

You can also check out Juarez and Escandon (sections I and II).

Coyoacan

2. Don’t overlook the Metro

Travellers to Mexico City always proclaim ‘Uber is so cheap!’. While I agree it’s cheaper than other countries, it’s not that cheap if you use it three times a day. To save a ton of taco money, my next Mexico City travel tip is to get acquainted with the Metro and the Metro Bus.

The Metro gets a bad rep which I feel is unwarranted. Keep your belongings close and check you’re not going the wrong way (once I didn’t notice for ages and ended up miles away) and you’ll be perfectly fine. If you’re nervous, female travellers can use the women and children’s carriage.

3. Get a Metro card

To benefit from 5 peso rides anywhere in Mexico City, you first need to buy a Metro card and top it up. You can do this at any station counter. To buy a card, ask the cashier ‘Puedo comprar una tarjeta con xx pesos por favor?’.

Since journeys are 5 pesos, maybe start with 50 pesos and top up again later. Staff don’t usually speak English so show them this text if you’re struggling with Spanish.

You can use your Metro card on the Metro and the Metro Bus. Here are some more Mexico City tips about these modes of transport:

The Metro

The second-longest metro in the Americas (after New York) carries over 4 million people every day. There are 12 lines and most trains depart every 2-3 minutes. Each line has a different colour and is named after its end destination for example Dirección Pantitlán.

Once you have a Metro card with credit, simply tap-in once. You don’t need to tap to transfer lines or tap out when you exit. Since the journeys show on Google Maps, I find it pretty easy to use the Mexico City Metro.

The Metro Bus

The Metro Bus is a red bus that travels along electric tram lines above ground. Like the Metro, each line travels along one route in both directions. The journeys are listed on Google Maps so it’s nice and easy. Have the Google Maps app open to check you’re going in the right direction.

Regular buses

These are pretty confusing since they’re not listed on Google Maps and you can’t use your Metro card. Instead, you chuck pesos in the box by the driver and there’s no change. I’ve only used the regular buses with a local, Spanish-speaking friend. If you’re a newbie, my Mexico City travel tip is to give them a miss!

4. Don’t drink the tap water

An important Mexico City travel tip is to avoid tap water. You can obviously buy bottled water from supermarkets and corner stores (check it’s sealed) but for environmental reasons, I would suggest instead bringing a reusable water bottle and filling it with filtered water (your accommodation should have a large dispenser).

Alternatively, travel with a filtering water bottle that allows you to safely drink tap water.

5. Eat street food as much as possible

6. Get a SIM card

Having a SIM card is very handy in Mexico. It’s such a big city that you’ll want to use online maps, call Uber as things are so spread out, and Google things to know about Mexico City.

Telcel SIMs are really affordable; you get 4gigs of data and unlimited phone calls and social media for 150 pesos. There are different packages depending how much data you want but since they expire after 30 days, this is usually the one I get.

I got so confused trying to buy a SIM card with my basic Spanish. I successfully bought one in the 7-Eleven but didn’t realise I had to top it up there and then. To counteract this, ask or show the vendor ‘Tarjeta SIM Telcel con paquete 150 pesos, por favor’.

If you get stuck, I would suggest asking your Airbnb host to help you out. They’re usually happy to.

7. Plan your itinerary well

Day 3: Spend a day wandering pretty Coyoacan and admiring Frida Kahlo paintings at the iconic Blue House. Eat tostadas at Tostadas Coyoacan in Coyoacan Market. If you’re visiting on a Saturday, begin your day at San Angel Sabado Market, one of my favourite weekly events in Mexico City.

Day 4: Have a fun day cruising the waterways in Xochimilco. You can take a tour aboard a large shared boat called a trajinera. These boats are bright and colourful, carrying tourists and locals as they listen to live mariachi bands and eat tamales and quesadillas sold from passing boats.

Since the boats can be expensive unless you have a large group together, browse trajinera tours here on GetYourGuide.

Alternatively, do what I did and take an eco-friendly tour around Xochimilco’s chinampas (islands) that local farmers have cultivated for centuries. Book here.

Day 5: For your final day, visit Museo Nacional de Antropología Museum (the National Anthropology Museum) before wandering enormous Chapultepec Park and visiting Chapultepec Castle where Romeo & Juliet was filmed.

In the afternoon, head over to millionaire district, Polanco, and visit the shiny Soumaya Gallery and Instagram spot, the Tane Store.

While I would suggest spending an extra day in Mexico City to visit Teotihuacan Pyramids, if time’s limited, swap out one of the days above. Keep reading for my recommended Mexico City day trips.

8. Adjust your budget

Mexico City isn’t as cheap as you’d expect. Whenever I leave the capital for other areas of the country, I’m always thrilled at the prices. When I come back to Mexico City, I’m reminded how pricey it can be especially in Roma and Condesa.

If you eat at restaurants and go for cocktails and evenings out, your budget won’t stay low for long.

In Roma and Condesa, you can expect to pay between 100 and 250 pesos for a meal in a restaurant and 100-150 pesos for a cocktail. You’ll pay more at a fancy restaurant and obviously, way less for street food. Expect to pay 30-50 pesos for a street food meal.

9. Get pesos from the ATM

No need to bring money with you; just withdraw cash at the ATM.

I have one very useful Mexico City travel tip regarding ATMs which I wish I’d known earlier. When you withdraw from a Banorte ATM with a foreign bank card, it shows you a poor exchange rate and asks you on-screen ‘do you accept this exchange rate?’. Click ‘no’ and instead of cancelling the transaction, it gives you the cash for a way better rate. It’s bizarre but it works.

Be careful about clicking ‘no’ on any ATM as I once walked away and left my cash behind as I thought I’d cancelled the transaction yet it spat it out anyway.

10. Don’t overlook day trips

While you could spend days if not weeks or months in Mexico City and not see everything, it would be a shame not to explore further afield. My best Mexico City travel tip is to add a few extra days to your itinerary. Use them to visit…

Teotihuacan: These ancient pyramids built in 200 AD are nothing short of magical. To walk around the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon, or fly above it during a Teotihuacan hot air balloon ride, take a public bus or day tour. Since it’s the most visited site in Mexico and it’s a 40km ride from CDMX, I would suggest leaving early.

Puebla: This gorgeous city two hours from Mexico City can be visited by day tour if you’re short of time though I personally think it’s better to spend a few days if possible.

Things to do in Puebla include eating local candies along Calle de Dulce (Sweet Street), visiting local crafts markets and museums, taking a trip to Cholula Pyramid, and sampling regional dishes like mole poblano and chile en nogada.

Book a bus on busbud or take a day tour.

Taxco: I’d recommend visiting Taxco from Mexico City as an overnight trip rather than a day trip unless you’re super speedy. Either way, it’s one of the best return trips from the capital.

Known for silver mining, this charming city 2.5 hours from CDMX has plenty of shopping opportunities, fantastic food and a scenic cableway offering views for miles around. Take a bus or an organised tour.

Tepoztlán: This auspicious town a 1.5-hour drive from CDMX is known for being the birthplace of Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec serpent god. Things to do during a day trip include visiting the weekly crafts market, hiking through the forest to Aztec Tepozteco pyramid, and sampling regional Tepoztlan food at Mercado de Comida (Food Market).

Note – don’t confuse Tepoztlán with Tepotzotlán which is a different town north of CDMX rather than south. To be honest, if you did make the mistake it wouldn’t be the end of the world as it’s also meant to be nice with a few museums, churches and handicraft markets.

San Miguel de Allende – this is another place I’d recommend staying overnight if possible. San Miguel is a charming colonial town just north of Queretaro state in Guanajuato. Check out how guide covering how to get to San Miguel and what to do there.

11. Don’t dress for the beach

Here’s a Mexico City travel tip I should have known in advance! I arrived in Mexico City with shorts, dresses and a light sweater which was a huge mistake in October.

I had to take myself straight to H&M for jeans, boots and a jacket. If you’re wondering what to pack for Mexico City, know that temperatures can drop below freezing.

12. Travel insurance

I find living in Mexico City safe but of course things can happen. Busy areas like city markets and Centro Historic can be known for pickpockets. Make sure you get insurance before travelling. I use True Traveller (for UK & Europe residents) which offers gadget cover. Get a quote.

For travel insurance for other nationalities, I recommend Hey Mundo and for long-term digital nomad travellers, I suggest Safety Wing.

13. Choose your museums & galleries

There are so many museums in Mexico City that it would take months to work through them all. Do a bit of research first to suss out the ones best suited to you. Some of the best museums and galleries include:

The National Anthropology Museum: On the edge of Chapultepec Park is the most visited museum in Mexico covering the Mayas, Aztecs and other ancient civilisations. It’s a fantastic place to learn about pre-Colombian Mexico. Entrance is 80 pesos.

Frida Kahlo Museum: While this museum in Coyoacan can be crowded, it’s one you can’t miss. The Blue House is the ex-residence of Frida Kahlo, displaying many of her iconic paintings and telling the story of her life. Buy a ticket in advance otherwise you may wait hours in the queue and be denied entry.

Museo Anahuacalli: Also in Coyoacan is Museo Diego Rivera Anahuacalli, set up by none other than Diego Rivera. The museum contains 2,000 of his paintings and 50,000 pre-Hispanic pieces that he collected.

Soumaya Museum: This modern and shiny museum in upmarket Polanco neighbourhood is owned by Carlos Slim, the richest man in Mexico. With six storeys and thousands of modern art installations, it’s free to go inside although there’s usually a long queue.

16. Walk a dog in Parque Mexico

I love weekends in Condesa because Parque Mexico suddenly becomes packed with beautiful stray pups who need walks and love.

Simply hand in your ID to take a dog for a walk around the neighbourhood. Once you’re done, make a donation which goes to their care and upkeep until they find forever homes.

17. Be earthquake ready

I don’t mean to scare you with this Mexico City travel tip. It’s unlikely to happen but Mexico City is built within an ancient lake bed which makes it susceptible to earthquakes. Locate your safest exits and educate yourself on what to do in the event of an earthquake.

18. Know some Spanish

Mexico can be a tough place to travel without knowing some basic Spanish although you’ll be let off easy in touristic areas and ex-pat friendly neighbourhoods like Roma and Condesa.

If you can brush up in advance, do. Otherwise, download the Google Translate app and do your best! Pack a Lonely Planet Mexican Spanish Phrasebook & Dictionary.

What not to do in Mexico City

Next, some Mexico City travel tips relating to things you shouldn’t do. These are…

19. Don’t walk at night

There’s no need to lock yourself away – some of the best things to do in Mexico City happen at night. I’ll happily walk around Roma and Condesa alone until 9pm or so but after this, I’ll get a taxi.

In neighbourhoods I don’t know, I’d opt for Uber as soon as it gets dark. Uber is affordable so it’s easy to stay safe.

20. Don’t flash your valuables

It goes without saying that you should put your valuables away, especially in inner-city markets or busy, crowded areas.

21. Don’t take regular taxis

It’s not advisable to take the regular white or pink taxis you see in Mexico City; for starters they’re much more expensive. It’s best just to call Uber.

22. Don’t travel on the Metro during peak hours

It will be so crowded and cramped! Avoid travelling during rush hour which goes on quite a while from 7am to 10am and 6pm to 9pm.

Many people will also tell you not to travel late at night on the Metro. I have (in the women’s carriage) between the main bus station and Condesa but I wouldn’t travel to out-of-town areas on the Metro at night.

23. Don’t expect tacos to crunch!

That’s Tex-Mex. Don’t expect to see nachos, fajitas or burritos, either. Mexico City street food isn’t like Western countries’ versions of Mexican food – it’s better!

To experience real Mexican food, take a market tour and cooking class in Condesa. I made and ate so much food with the friendly team!